青木リカです。よろしく！

PCC was a lot of fun!

So last Thursday, I visited Pasadena to speak at PCC as the Visiting API Scholar. Thank you to Kirsten Ogden and Mikage Kuroki for their warmth and hospitality. Whenever I combine API and queer experiences, I notice such an outpouring of sharing and support from people who find themselves juggling identities from one community to the next (pretty much everyone, right?). People talking about being Latino and Asian, or Serbian, or being expected to act in a certain way, or speak a certain language… The feelings of needing to validate oneself… I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to share, and I hope my work and words enriched the discourse at PCC. I know the word I heard enriched me. <3

As a quick note–I’ll be back in Pasadena, performing Saturday, May 19 as part of the Pasadena Literary Festival. (more on that in another post).